Surprise! Sony's AIBO Is a Dog

After years of refusing to call its robotic entertainment devices dogs, Sony rolls out a new AIBO that could be nothing but.

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After heading into Jetson's territory with the AIBO 220 Series, Sony has decided to return the robot to its roots, introducing perhaps the friendliest-looking AIBO to date, the ERS-7.

The $1,599 Sony AIBO ERS-7 is $300 more than the previous version (the ERS-210A listed for $1,299), has a white, nearly hour-glass figure, a more curved, canine-like face, floppy, translucent ears, and a tail that wags almost naturally when you pet the electronic pooch. This is also the first AIBO that Sony is willing to refer to as a dog. Company officials said that there was a real effort this time to make the AIBO's movements more doglike; designers even studied the way dogs move. Developers replaced a relatively un-dog-like sideways head motion of one motor (as with the previous model, there are 20) with a sort of forward-and-down scooping movement, for example. Those who own real dogs will likely recognize the gesture. And the company claims that a 60 percent boost in processing power further enhances the realism. The new AIBO's Snoopy-like appearance does add about half a pound of weight, but Sony says the robot will move roughly 6 percent faster than its predecessor.

The new price is a reflection, in part, of an increase in Memory Stick capacity to 32MB from 8MB and the inclusion in the base software, now known as AIBO Mind, of Life2, the program that controls the dog's maturation; Recognition, the utility that helps AIBO recognize its owner, charging station, and patterns; Explorer, the application that enables the robot to communicate and perform other tasks; and AIBO Eyes, which allows you to control AIBO remotely via e-mail.

The biggest change is the built-in wireless (802.11b) capability. As a result, Sony says users will be able to receive photos via e-mail and even peruse AIBO's photo album through their PCs without removing the memory stick. The designers also increased the camera's CCD resolution slightly to 416 by 320 pixels, but images are still well below 1MB. Sony claims that adding the type of 2-megapixel camera it puts in the spines of PDAs and laptops would not only increase the price but also significantly reduce power and battery life. The ERS-7 operates for 2 hours on a charge, but also takes 2 hours to recharge.

Previous AIBO's were apt to fall down stairs, but a new infrared sensor on the ESR-7's chest can detect edges and stop the robot from diving off tables and other precipices. AIBO's increased cognitive abilities include pattern recognition that now allows the canoid to find its charging station (which has been redesigned) on its own, back into it, and leave when charged. The new capability also lets AIBO read 15 included activity cards. Each card has a graphic image representing a specific task (yes, Robopup can finally empty those waste digits from its bladder). When you hold up a card in front of the new AIBO, the pup gives a corresponding vocalization and then performs the action.

AIBO's vocabulary remains unchanged at 100 words, and it does not converse with anyone, but the music, tones, and "words" sound better because Sony has switched over to MIDI files for audio. AIBO may also be able to hear better because the microphones on each of its ears are now more external, and Sony has enabled the dog to better recognize sounds coming from behind.

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The updated appearance, which Sony describes as both more friendly and futuristic, also includes Illumi-Face, a new array of roughly 40 LEDs (replacing eyes) on the face that can convey a variety of messages and emotions. There are other LEDs scattered over the AIBO's new body that light up when you pet the pup. Also, for those who aren't into training a puppy, the updated software now lets you set the dog's maturity through your PC.

Overall, the AIBO ERS-7 is a marked departure from the 220 Series and even from the more recent ERS-210A. The latest version, according to Sony, is a true indicator of the future direction of its robotic line. The company expects to ship the new AIBO sometime next month. It should be available at FAO Schwartz, Sony Style stores, and via Sony's Web site.

A 25-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance Ulanoff is the former Editor in Chief of PCMag.com.
Lance Ulanoff has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases, ?on line? meant ?waiting? and CPU speeds were measured in single-digit megahertz. He?s traveled the globe to report on a vast array of consumer and business technology.
While a digital veteran, Lance spent his early years writing for newspapers and magazines. He?s been online since 1996 and ran Web sites for three national publications: HomePC, Windows Magazine...
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